Perry Volunteer Fire Department stages river extrication Saturday

The Perry Volunteer Fire Department spent about two hours Saturday morning northwest of Dawson along the Raccoon River, pulling out a vehicle that its enraged owner deliberately sunk Friday afternoon. Photo courtesy PVFD

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The Perry Volunteer Fire Department spent about two hours Saturday morning northwest of Dawson along the Raccoon River, pulling out a vehicle that its enraged owner deliberately sunk Friday afternoon. Photo courtesy PVFD

The Perry Volunteer Fire Department spent about two hours Saturday morning northwest of Dawson along the Raccoon River, pulling out a vehicle that its enraged owner deliberately sunk Friday afternoon. Photo courtesy PVFD

The Perry Volunteer Fire Department spent about two hours Saturday morning northwest of Dawson along the Raccoon River, pulling out a vehicle that its enraged owner deliberately sunk Friday afternoon.

The Dallas County Sheriff’s office requested the fire department’s assistance about 3:30 p.m. Friday after Michael Schmitz of 11649 125th Trail near Dawson drove the two-door passenger car off the roadway and into the river, which carried the vehicle about 125 yards downstream.

The vehicle came to rest in about four feet of water and roughly 20 feet from the river bank, hung up on a fallen tree.

“I was afraid that by the time my divers were ready to go and we had a plan in place to remove the vehicle, we might be working in the dark with artificial light,” said Perry Volunteer Fire Department Chief Chris Hinds, “so I requested that they allow us to leave the vehicle over night and remove it in the morning. Dallas County agreed that would most likely be best.”

Returning about 9 a.m. Saturday, the firefighters were able to run a tow strap through the vehicle’s sun roof and the driver- and passenger-side windows. A local towing service then used a winch to pull the vehicle straight up the river bank and on to 125th Trail.